News You Can Use

RTA NEWS YOU CAN USE
October 22, 2014

Northwood University Announces Dates for
2015 "Tire Leadership 21"
Education Program

In attendance will be the next generation
of tire dealer managers, leaders, and owners.

Please contact Brian Cruickshank to learn more and to confirm your attendance
at: (989) 430-7774 or brianc@northwood.edu

Midland, MI – Dates for the next Tire Leadership 21 education program have been announced by Northwood University and the Center for Tire & Service Education (CTSE). The next two-week seminar will be held March 22-27 and Sept 13-18. Participants must attend both sessions.

Tire Leadership 21 was specifically designed to develop the next generation of tire dealer managers and owners. It covers a wide range of business, management and leadership topics that are critical to the success of future independent tire-dealer managers and owners. The program was created through a unique collaboration between a group of leading tire dealers (CTSE) and Northwood University, a fully accredited, private, non-profit business university that specializes in managerial and entrepreneurial education.

"Our first Tire Leadership 21 program, which concluded in April, was a great success," said Kim Sigman, owner of Community Tire Pros of Phoenix, AZ and a member of the CTSE board. "The program is the perfect venue for developing future leaders in any tire dealer business."

Bart Proper of Rice Tire (Washington, DC), who attended the 2014 class, echoed Sigman's comments: "This isn't a program to learn about tires or tire technology – that kind of program exists in lots of places. This is a unique program about working on your business, rather than in it. It forces you to think about the big picture and how your leadership fits into it."

The program's structure features a pair of one-week, on-campus sessions. Session I will be held in late March at Northwood's campus in Midland, MI. Participants will reconvene mid-September at Northwood's campus in West Palm Beach, FL. At the conclusion of the program, participants will be required to complete an individual project that must deliver $25,000 in annual additional revenue or savings to their employers.

Academic support of the program comes from Northwood University and its University of the Aftermarket continuing education division. The University of the Aftermarket manages executive and continuing education programs targeted to the motor vehicle aftermarket. Northwood was founded in 1959 and grants bachelor's (BBA) and master's (MBA) degrees in a variety of business disciplines, including automotive aftermarket management. Although Tire Leadership 21 is a non-degree, continuing education program, it still leverages Northwood's extensive academic resources, including its world-class faculty and residential campuses

Faculty for Tire Leadership 21 will come from a combination of Northwood's DeVos Graduate School of Management and subject-matter experts from within the tire and service industries. The program will also include a series of recognized experts – from within and outside of the tire and service industry – to serve as guest speakers.

The program includes on a range of university-level tire dealer focused business, management and leadership subjects:

• Finance
• Accounting
• Business Strategy
• Management
• Corporate Vision
• Leadership
• Operations
• Industry Trends
• Marketing & Social Media
• Team & Corporate Culture
• The Customer Experience
• Critical Thinking
• Problem Resolution

The 2015 Tire Leadership 21 program will be limited to 30 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. The program cost, which includes tuition, meals and class materials, is $5,995. Hotel-style, on-campus accommodations are available (MI only). All management-track/management-potential North American tire dealer employees, managers and owners are eligible to attend.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF THE AFTERMARKET
The University of the Aftermarket provides business, management and leadership education to professionals in the motor vehicle aftermarket through on-line, custom, conference, and partnership educational opportunities. Through these programs, the University awards CEU credit that can be applied toward completion of the aftermarket's Automotive Aftermarket Professional (AAP) or Master Automotive Aftermarket Professional (MAAP) designations.

The University of the Aftermarket is an educational alliance of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association, the Automotive Warehouse Distributors Association and the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association and is an operating unit of Northwood University.

ABOUT NORTHWOOD UNIVERSITY
Northwood University is committed to the most personal attention to prepare students for success in their careers and in their communities; it promotes critical thinking skills, personal effectiveness, and the importance of ethics, individual freedom and responsibility.

Private, nonprofit, and accredited, Northwood University specializes in managerial and entrepreneurial education at three full-service, residential campuses located in southern Florida, mid-Michigan and northern Texas. Adult Degree Programs are available in eight states with many course delivery options including online. The DeVos Graduate School offers day, evening and weekend programming in Michigan, Texas and Florida. The Alden B. Dow Center for Creativity and Enterprise provides system-wide expertise in family enterprise, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and new business development. International education is offered through study abroad and in Program Centers in Switzerland, China (Changchun and Wuxi), Malaysia and Sri Lanka.

# # #

•     •     •

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

"Make absolute integrity the compass that guides you in everything you do.

And surround yourself only with people of flawless integrity"

~ Karl Eller